Ted Cruz’s Faith: What Does He Really Believe?

Presidential candidate Ted Cruz is not a dominionist, Robert Gagnon and Edith Humphrey write in a column for Christianity Today.

According to the article, Gagnon and Edith— both professors at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary— point out that dominion theology refers to Christians who want to take over the government and other facets of society, such as business, arts, entertainment, education and family.

Today, say Gagnon and Edith, the term has become “elastic” and a way for opponents to smear Cruz as a misrepresentation of his faith.

“Ted’s not a dominionist; he’s a constitutionalist,” the column says.

“Cruz is committed not to a theocratic state, but to Judeo-Christian values that benefit all of America, and affirms the right of Jews, Christians, and Muslims to act consistently with their beliefs,” the column adds.

In one case, critics say that Cruz shows dominionism because of his desire to have the military intervene overseas. In another instance, critics pointed out that Cruz said he wanted to “carpet bomb” ISIS, and that this was hypocritical to his pro-life claim.

“Cruz’s explanation makes clear, however, that he was not referring to the targeting of the civilian population, but to the deployment of massive air power,” the column says.

Other critics have also called Cruz a “Christian Zionist” because of his support for Israel; however, Gagnon and Edith say that Cruz sees Israel as a “democratic ally.”